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Macharian Crusade
at the outset of the Macharian Crusade, c. 392.M41]] The Macharian Crusade was a monumental, seven year long Imperial Crusade from 392-399.M41, led by Lord Commander Solar Macharius, the Imperium's greatest Imperial Guard commanders of all time. This Crusade took place on the far western edge of the galaxy within the Segmentum Pacificus, reaching as far as the very border of intergalactic space and even reached within the unknown regions of the Halo Zone. The further extent of this Crusade reached just beyond the edge of the Segementum Pacificus, where not even the blessed light of the Astronomican could penetrate through the dark void. Most Imperial scholar's agree, Macharius was the most successful and brilliant of Warmasters since the arch-traitor Horus. Nearly a thousand worlds were brought back into the Imperial fold within only seven years of fighting, yet upon his death the newly won territories erupted into civil war as Macharius's generals vied for control, fighting over the spoils. The Lord Solar's forces consisted of seven whole army groups, each led by a general appointed by the Warmaster himself. Though Macharius was prepared to capture a thousand more worlds, his armies were not, for they had been pushed beyond the point of endurance and were exhausted by the relentless pace with which Macharius had driven them. Furthermore, his subordinates refused to travel any further when the reached the edge of the known galaxy. It was whispered that the stars of the Halo Zone were haunted and the worlds which orbited them were inhabited by ghosts. His troops had followed him from world to world on one of the greatest human adventures of all time. At the edge of the galaxy Macharius prepared to move onwards but his armies, never beaten by the enemy, wavered and crumbled at the prospect of exploring the psychic darkness at the galaxy's edge. The conquests of Macharius came to an end. The Lord Solar was finally defeated at long last, not by any opposing warlords, but by human fear and frailty. Reluctantly, Macharius agreed to conclude his campaign and return to the Imperium. The Lord Solar was never seen alive again, for he died during the voyage back to his homeworld. The exact nature of Macharius's death remains shrouded in mystery. No one has led the armies of the Imperial Guard to more victories or to greater conquests, nor won so many worlds for the Imperium since the Great Crusade. Imperial Order of Battle of the Macharian Crusade Imperial Commanders *'Lord Commander Solar Macharius' - 1st Army Group *'General Sejanus' - 2nd Army Group *'General Tarka - 3rd Army Group' *'General Lysander - 4th Army Group' *'General Borgen Crassus - 5th Army Group' *'General Arrian - 6th Army Group' *'General Cyrus - 7th Army Group' Imperial Guard '1st Army Group, ''Lord Solar's Own *'''Byzant Janizars *'Cadian Shock Troopers' *'Death Korps of Krieg' *'Merican Fusiliers' '2nd Army Group, ''Sejanus' Steel *'''Barac Pioneers *'Cadian Shock Troopers' *'Mordian Iron Guard' 3rd Army Group, The Backbreakers '' *'Cadian Shock Troopers''' *'Elysian Drop Troops' *'Genswick Rifles' 4th Army Group, The Mirage *'Armageddon Steel Legion' *'Kanak Skulltakers' *'Tallarn Desert Raiders' 5th Army Group, Gauntlets of Crassus *'Cadian Shock Troopers' *'Harakoni Warhawks' *'Praetorian Guard' 6th Army Group, Hard Luck Sixth *'Catachan Jungle Fighters' *'Methalor Penal Legion' *'Terrax Guard' 7th Army Group, Fire and Ice *'Catachan Jungle Fighters' *'Valhallan Ice Warriors' *'Jackals' Adeptus Astartes Chapters *'Doom Warriors' *'Inceptors' *'Star Phantoms' Sources *''Angel of Fire'' (Novel) by William King *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (5th Edition), p. 13 *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (3rd Edition), p. 22 *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (2nd Edition), p. 83 *''White Dwarf'' 240 (US), "Conqueror of Darkness - Imperial Lord Solar Macharius", pp. 32-33 Category:M Category:Imperial History Category:History Category:Imperial Guard Category:Space Marines